Yams are often confused as sweet potatoes because they can be interchanged in most recipes. However, do not think that they are the same. They are not the same vegetable. Yams are native to South and Central America, Asia, and Africa.
There are different varieties of yams and can either be of pink, purple, yellow, or off-white in color. They have natural sugar and more moisture as compared to sweet potatoes. Then again, as mentioned above, sweet potatoes and yams can be interchanges in most recipes such as the ones below. To learn how to cook yams, let’s check out these two great ways to cook yams.
Trivia! – Estrogens (sex hormones) were first made from a similar compound in yams. Yams were used commercially to produce hormones for contraceptive pills, and steroids..
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If you want to learn how to cook yams, one of the most popular ways to do it is to pan fry them. This recipe is called pan-cooked yams. In this case, you can replace yams with sweet potatoes as you like. All we need are the following ingredients:
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4 yams, medium size (you may use sweet potatoes)
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1 teaspoon olive oil or butter
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1/2 cup water
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2 tablespoon sugar, regular or brown will do
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A dash of nutmeg
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A dash of cinnamon
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A dash of all spice
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1 teaspoon lemon juice
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1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
This is pretty easy to prepare. All you have to do is to peel your yams and wash or rinse. Then, slice each yam into two halves. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Now, layer the top of the yam with the mixture. Place the yams in a pan and cover and simmer on medium heat. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until tender. This recipe yields four servings.
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African Yams is another recipe that you can try if you want to learn how to cook yams. Yams are also common in Africa and can be said as the basic food for a lot of African families. Let’s start cooking yams the African way.
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Peel raw yams and put in a pot.
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Cover with water and add salt.
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Boil the yams until tender.
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Once done, drain the yams.
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Mash the yams then add sugar to taste and butter and you’re done! It’s just like mashed potatoes except for a slight difference in the ingredients you add.
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You may also opt not to peel your yams and not to mash them. Simply cut it in half once it’s tender after boiling. Then serve with sugar, butter, salt, pepper, or cinnamon to taste.
Do you know of any Yam related recipe? Please let us know below.
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